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G.I. Joe 50th Anniversary – what can fans expect in 2014?

2014 marks a very special occasion for the ENTIRE G.I. Joe fandom. Next year will mark the 50th Anniversary of G.I. Joe – the ORIGINAL action figure! However, the question on many fans’ minds right now is how exactly will that milestone anniversary be acknowledged and which facets of G.I. Joe will it encompass? After all, the G.I. Joe brand has evolved quite a bit over the past 50 years.

A quick timeline of G.I. Joe through the years:

America’s Movable Fighting Man: 1964 – 1969

The Adventure Team: 1970 – 1976

Super Joe: 1977 – 1978

A Real American Hero: 1982 – 1994

Sgt. Savage & His Screaming Eagles: 1994 – 1995

G.I. Joe Extreme: 1995 – 1997

G.I. Joe vs. Cobra: 2002 – 2005

G.I. Joe – Sigma 6: 2005 – 2007

G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Collection: 2007 – 2009

The Movie Era (Rise/Pursuit of Cobra & Retaliation): 2009 – 2013

Now clearly, the bulk of the G.I. Joe timeline was heavily influenced by the A Real American Hero cast of characters and yet the anniversary is technically that of the original “Movable Fighting Man”. Those initial five years were dominated by realistic representations of servicemen before Joe transitioned into the adventurer role that defined the Adventure Team years. However, it seems that the 12″ market has transitioned from mass market to high-end with companies like Sideshow and Hot Toys taking over the market that once belonged to G.I. Joe. Could Hasbro still celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Movable Fighting Man without the 1:6 scale?

The precedent is there– in 1994 Hasbro released a “30th Anniversary” line commemorating the original G.I. Joe offerings. However, these figures weren’t just released in a 12″ format but instead were rendered in the then-current 3.75″ o-ring construction used for the soon-to-be completed “A Real American Hero” line. (A 12″ anniversary line did also exist.) Available both in action sets and in a fantastic boxed set, this line-within-a-line paid proper tribute to the past while still embracing the current reality of the market and retailer expectations.

Could such a nod to the first action figure happen again only in 1:18 generation 3 construction? Will there be another limited release of 12″ figures as happened with the Adventure Team reissues from Walmart and Hot Topic of close to a decade ago? No one knows at this point. Right now, fans will just have to wait until February and the 2014 Toy Fair held in New York. However, thanks to Pixel-Dan and ToyNewsInternational, this interview with Derryl DePriest offers a few tidbits about what is to come.

About Fred Meyer

Digital strategist by day, hack writer and photography by night - this long-time figure collector still thinks that he can string words together and form meaningful entertaining sequences. He is obviously mistaken.

I’ve been going nuts trying to find some figures alright, especially Night Viper, Crimson Guard, and the Blind Master. There are full cases out there on eBay but places such as HTS have yet to restock them.

I do have faith in seeing some surprising 50th anniversary product next year because nobody expected the Tomahawk to ever show up again. I’ve gotten three so far since I never had one as a kid and I want to show my support for the vintage vehicles. Derryl has been in this game for a long time so I trust the guy. Still, my dream offerings for 2014 would be the Concept Case figures we’ve been seeing in recent years. Now, THAT would be a truly sweet deal! 🙂

Unfortunately I feel as though I need to set my expectations extremely low as GI Joe has had almost no retail presence near me (Central Florida) and if there is anything new coming out this year, I expect I will have to pay online prices to ever see it.